Author's Notes:

First of all I would like to say I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! FORGIVE ME! I know I said I'd be busy for at least two weeks but right after I uploaded chapter 3 I got sick. I had to catch up with my academics and I was busy with my student org's musical production. AND, my inner sloth woke up... and wouldn't leave me alone for several days. It also brought along with it a huge wave of writer's block. I couldn't remember what I wanted to write every time I would open my file... though I couldn't believe this chapter would be so long! (13 pages) I didn;;t expect this chapter to be so long. but Now that I'm just glad to have finished writing this chapter.

Again, my apologies for the late update.

Now, on with the story!

Chapter 4

Momiji sighed for the nth time as he lazily picked on a small piece of the cast that was sticking out.

"Momiji, stop playing with your cast." Hatori reprimanded him.

"But I'm bored!" Momiji exclaimed "I don't have anything else to do aside from sitting here and resting." He pouted.

"Why don't you take a nap?" Hatori suggested as he turned a page of the book he was reading

"I'm not sleepy." Momiji replied monotonously.

"You can listen to your iPod." Hatori tried once again, this time looking up from the book in his hands.

"But I've been doing that since this morning." Momiji huffed. He had been doing nothing but sitting and listening to his iPod ever since he finished his breakfast. He would talk occasionally with Hatori and listen from what he could hear coming from outside the room but aside from that he realized he had nothing else to do and he was so bored. He couldn't even watch the shows on the TV provided in the room since he would have a hard time understanding what was going on given his lack of sight.

Momiji leaned his head back on the pillow and sighed, his boredom clearly seen in his face. The dull pain he was still feeling in his side and in his left arm was not helping either. He really wanted to get better and get out of the hospital. At least if he was back at the main house he could still find things to do even if he can't see. He could even play his violin if he wants to. He admits he isn't a professional at playing the violin, not yet. But he was skilled enough to play even without needing to see what he has to play.

Suddenly remembering his violin made Momiji want to go back home and play. But knowing his condition right now, he can't move around too much without feeling pain from his side and he can't even move his arm. The though made Momiji even frown even more and Hatori seemed to have noticed the glum mood the boy was experiencing so he tried to strike up another conversation.

"How about a snack?" he began "You had your breakfast earlier than usual and it's still a little too early for lunch. Do you want to eat something?" he asked Momiji. Momiji shook his head a little. "No thanks, I'm not yet hungry" he replied. The word food almost made Momiji wanted to groan as he remembered what happened yesterday.

If there was another thing he realized that really irritated him aside from his inability to satisfy his boredom was the fact that he was having a hard time eating. It was really difficult to eat food when he couldn't see where it is. He remembered how he nearly knocked over the bowl of soup that came with the meal Tohru brought for him yesterday. If it wasn't for Kyo's quick reaction of holding the bowl in place he would have spilled the soup all over himself. Even now he could still clearly remember how embarrassed he felt as Tohru, being the easily worried person that she is, fussed over him saying that she could feed him so that he wouldn't have a hard time eating, which he tried to politely decline without looking too embarrassed, while Kyo's side comments about him could be heard in the background.

"Momiji, is something wrong? You look beet red." Hatori's half concerned half curious tone snapped him out of his thoughts as he realized that he was blushing as he remembered the embarrassing memory.

"Huh? Ah, i-it's nothing! I'm fine" He quickly replied as he tried to think of other things to keep his mind from wandering back to what happened yesterday.

"Are you sure? You look a little rattled." Once again, Hatori's half curious half concerned tone was heard, although now he sounded more curious than concerned.

"Yep, I'm okay!" Momiji answered a little too cheery than usual. He had forgotten that Hatori was still with him in the room and he mentally berated himself for forgetting. Then again, he didn't think the man was paying that much attention to him at the moment. From what he was hearing he could guess that Hatori was reading a book so he didn't think he would notice him as he recalled what happened yesterday.

"Well, if you say so." Hatori said and Momiji could tell with the tone that Hatori used that their little conversation would end there and he let his shoulders slump a little in relief.

A soft knock on the door caused both Hatori and Momiji to look up from what they were doing; Hatori from reading the paper and Momiji from his thoughts. The door opened and Tohru came in.

"Good morning Momiji!" she cheerfully greeted "ah! Hatori-san's here too." She added as she saw Hatori sitting with a newspaper in hand.

"Good morning" Hatori replied and he glanced at Momiji whose face lit up as he heard Tohru's voice and he greeted her cheerfully "Tohru! Good morning! I thought you wouldn't be here until later in the afternoon?" he curiously asked.

Tohru walked into the room and placed the small paper bag she was carrying unto the table. "The owner of the store I'm working in is sick. He insisted on opening the shop but then he got worse and we had to close the shop really early." She explained as she sat beside Momiji's bed.

"Oh, is he alright?" Momiji asked. "Yeah, he's fine now. Although he was scolded by his wife for a long time for opening the store even though he was already sick." She told him. "Oh! I also brought you some jelly I made this morning! Do you want some?" she asked and turned to Hatori "You too Hatori-san, do you want some?"

"Ah! I want some Tohru!" Momiji happily said but he suddenly remembered what happened yesterday with the soup "uh, I'll eat it later." He added. Tohru blinked "Are you sure you don't want it now?" "Yup, I can have it as my dessert later after lunch." He told her, and for some reason he could feel Hatori's gaze on him, probably noticing his sudden change of mind. "Oh, okay. What about you Hatori-san?" Tohru asked Hatori. "I'll eat it later as well. Thank you." Hatori said with a small smile on his face.

"Oh, okay then. I'll just put this in the fridge." Tohru said as she went towards the small refrigerator which was also provided in the room.

Hatori's phone suddenly rang and he excused himself as he answered the phone. He came back in a few minutes later "I know it's sudden but something came up at the main house and I have to go. I'll be back later okay Momiji?" he said as he went over to the chair he was occupying to pick up his coat.

"Okay." Momiji answered "Don't worry, I'll be fine." He reassured Hatori. "That's right; besides, I can stay with Momiji for the rest of the day since I don't have any work left to do." Tohru said with a smile. Hatori nodded "Okay then, thank you Tohru. I'll be back later Momiji." Hatori said as he gathered the rest of his things and left the room after getting a nod from Momiji.

"I guess it's just the two of us then." Momiji said as he plopped down back at the pillow behind him "By the way, is Kyo also coming today?" he asked "No, I don't think so. He promised Shishou he'd help out at the dojo today. Maybe he can come tomorrow." Tohru told him. "Oh, I see." "So, how are you doing?" Tohru asked.

"I feel so bored." He said pouting a little. "I hate staying at the hospital even before since I can't do much and now I can't even watch TV!" he complained "I'm sure you'll be able to find something to do while passing the time. Besides, I can always visit you." Tohru reassured him.

"Yeah, I know." Momiji said laughing a little and Tohru smiled.

"I have to apologize to Kisa though…"he mumbled. "Eh? Why?" Tohru blinked in question. "You see, before I got hit by the truck, I got a text from Kisa asking if I could watch the Mogeta DVD she borrowed from her friend with Hiro this weekend. But now that I can't see…" Momiji's expression turned sullen as he told Tohru about not being able to watch.

"It's okay. They'll understand." Tohru began "You could always watch it with them when your sight comes back." She reassured him. Momiji seemed to think about it before a smile crept on his face and he nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

They spent the next hour talking and laughing about random things when a knock brought their attention on the door. When it opened, he heard a small surprised sound coming from Tohru, causing him to look in her direction. "Tohru?" he called out.

"Oh, I thought it was Hatori-san who was with you."

Momiji looked towards the direction of the voice, quickly recognizing it, and smiled

"Maiko-san!"

Maiko smiled gently as she went over to where Momiji and Tohru were "Good morning Momiji-kun, how are you feeling today?" as she came closer it was then that she noticed Tohru and stared at her. "Excuse me, but have we met before? You seem familiar somehow." She asked. "My name is Honda Tohru. I'm a friend of Momiji's" Tohru bowed as she introduced herself.

"We used to go to the same high school until she graduated last year." Momiji added "She's the friend I was visiting in Mizuki-san's building when you saw me." He told her. "Oh, that's right. I remember now." Maiko smiled "It's nice to meet you again, Honda-san." She said. "Yes, it's nice to meet you too Maiko-san." Tohru smiled.

"Oh, that's right Momiji-kun, there's also someone else here to see you." Maiko said. "Someone else?" Momiji asked, he didn't hear another person come in after his mother, but then again he wasn't really sure since he still wasn't used to relying on his hearing to know if people are around or not. "Who is it?" he asked but instead of hearing an answer he felt a hand hold his. It was much too small to be his mother's but it felt familiar somehow. There was something about the feel of the fingers that reminded him of his own back when he was just starting to learn how to play the violin and then his eyes widened slightly as realization struck him. This hand belonged to someone he knows, someone who was always with his mother when he watched them from afar, and who also watched him as well. Momiji smiled as he held the hand in his own.

"Momo, is that you?"

"Yes." The small voice he heard was enough to make him smile even more. "When she heard what happened to you, she said she wanted to come along the next time I visit." Maiko said "She seems to really like you, although you've only met a few times before." She added. "I see, thank you for coming to visit me!" Momiji said cheerfully and Momo smiled in return and she began to talk to Momiji about many things.

Tohru couldn't help but smile as well as she watched the scene in front of her. She was so happy for Momiji because he gets to spend more time with his family, even though they are unaware, and he can have fun with them. Not wanting to disturb the three as they continued to talk merrily about various things, she just sat there on the other side of the bed and listened. She would occasionally talk with them whenever the conversation turned to her and she would happily join in as well.

But in spite of seeing the three of them talking and laughing, there was something she noticed that seemed to bother her. It was like there was small, nagging feeling inside her as she looked at Momiji's mother. There was something about her that she can't seem to pinpoint. She seemed to be enjoying her time with Momiji and Momo, having fun and talking animatedly with them but there was something in the way she looked at Momiji. It's like she was wary of something, observing Momiji and Momo. Tohru wasn't exactly sure what to think of this, after all, she barely knows anything about her except for what Momiji told her. So she did what she thinks is right and stopped thinking about it and paid more attention to Momo, who was now sitting closer to the bed, talking to Momiji.

"Can you still play the violin?" Momo asked her doe eyed gaze directed at Momiji and Maiko blinked in surprise. "You can also play the violin?" she asked. Momiji nodded "Yes, I do. I've been playing since I was in elementary school." He answered. "But you can't see now…" Momo said her tone had a tinge of sadness as she looked up to Momiji.

"Don't worry; I can still play the violin." He reassured Momo "Although I don't think I can learn any new music right now since I can't see. But I can still play the violin even if I don't have to look at my fingers as long as I know the song I'm playing." He finished.

"That's good. It'd be such a waste if you won't be able to play anymore." Maiko said, sounding a little relieved. "Momiji…" Momo had an unreadable expression as she lightly tugged on Momiji's sleeve causing him to tilted his head towards Momo's direction. "Yes? What is it Momo?" he asked.

For a moment, Momo looked embarrassed about what she wanted to say and paused for a few seconds before speaking again. "Um, if it's okay with you, when Momo becomes better at playing the violin… can we… play together?" she quietly asked.

Momiji seemed at a loss for words for a moment before he smiled gently "Of course, I'd be happy to Momo." Momo smiled as she heard that Momiji would want to play with him and she laughed in delight. Both Tohru and Maiko watched happily as Momo and Momiji continued to talk about playing the violin and doing other stuff together when he gets better and released from the hospital.

Maiko glanced at the clock hanging in the wall "Oh, it seems it's already time for lunch." She said. "Will you be going now then?" Momiji asked trying to hide the slight pang of sadness as he thought that they were going to leave soon.

"Oh, um… I brought some lunch with me when I came earlier." Tohru spoke "If you'd like, you can have lunch here with us." She said. "That's very kind of you, but I wouldn't want to impose…" Maiko started but then she noticed that Momo was also looking at her "But, there are four of us…" she said "Oh, don't worry Maiko-san, I cooked a lot of food today in case there were other visitors as well." Tohru said and it was then that Maiko noticed Momo was still looking at her and she sighed "Well, if it's alright with you, then it's alright with me. Besides," she patted Momo's head "Momo seems like she still wants to stay."

Momo smiled and happily went back beside Momiji's bed while Tohru started to prepare the food she brought along with her. A small gasp brought all eyes on Tohru who was looking at the unpacked food she placed on the table. "What's wrong Honda-san?" Maiko approached her and looked at the table to see if anything was wrong. "Oh no, it's just that… I forgot to bring the tea I prepared with me." Tohru said "Don't worry I saw a cafeteria downstairs, I'll just go and buy some." She continued to say as she headed to the door. "Wait Honda-san, I can come with you if you want." Maiko offered "Oh, no it's alright. I can manage. I'll be back really soon so if you can just wait here."

Just as Tohru was about to turn back towards the door, she felt something tug on her skirt and she looked down to see Momo. "Is something wrong Momo-chan?" she asked. The small girl blinked at her "Can I go with you?" she asked

"Eh? Um, I wouldn't mind but, is it okay?" Tohru turned to ask Maiko. "I thought you wanted to stay with Momiji, Momo?" she asked her daughter. "I want a chocolate drink." Came the reply from Momo "But you could get lost," Maiko told her "why don't you just stay here?" she finished. "But I want to go with her…" Momo said, her voice whining a little as she stared at her mother and a short staring contest ensued between them before Maiko sighed "Okay, you can go. But don't wander off okay? Stay by Honda-san's side." After receiving a nod from Momo, she left with Tohru holding her by the hand.

"Honestly, sometimes I think I'm being a bit too lenient on Momo. I always let her do what she wants." Maiko huffed as she sat back down on the chair. Momiji chuckled at her reaction "Hey, it's not funny. What if she gets too spoiled?" Maiko said teasingly. "If she gets spoiled, I'm sure you would do something about it Maiko-san." He told her as he leaned back on the pillow. "Of course I will." Maiko said with a small smile on her lips.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot to give this back to you yesterday after all that happened after you woke up." Maiko said as she opened her bag and reached in. "What is it?" Momiji asked tilting his head in question. "There, I found it." Maiko said as she took her hand out of her bag. "Here you go." She reached out for Momiji's right hand and she placed the object in it.

Momiji blinked as he tried to make out what the object was that his mother returned to him. It was a small chain with an oval piece of metal attached to it. Maiko saw a look of surprise as Momiji recognized the object in his hand "This is… how did you get this?" Momiji asked as he continued to fumble with the small object in his hand, a golden necklace with a small oval locket. "One of the nurses gave it to me while you were still being treated in the emergency room. I was the only one there at the moment so I kept it with me. I had meant to give it sooner but when you woke up and said that you couldn't see, I completely forgot about it." She explained.

"…I see, I thought I had lost it when Hatori said he hadn't seen it." Momiji quietly said. He paused for a moment, seemingly in deep thought "Did you… look?" he asked, almost hesitantly. Maiko looked at him understanding what he meant "No, I didn't look inside the locket. Don't worry." She reassured him

"Oh…" Momiji felt relief wash over him when she said she didn't look at what was inside the locket. He wouldn't know what to do if she ever did see what was inside the locket. "Besides, it'd be rude to do so without permission wouldn't it?" she added, laughing a little to lighten up the mood. "…Yeah" Momiji nodded. Of course his mother wouldn't look inside; after all, she probably thought it was just an accessory or something that he kept with him. He did like to wear accessories after all.

"It must be really important to you, the locket, I mean." Maiko said as she watched Momiji, who still had the locket in his hand. Momiji blinked, he wasn't expecting her to ask him about the locket. Nevertheless, he decided to answer her question "Yes. It's very important to me. It's like… a keepsake." He said with a small, almost sad smile on his lips and Maiko was silent for a while before she spoke again.

"Is it… a picture of your family?"

She asked sounding quite curious even though she seemed reluctant to ask him and Momiji was taken by surprise at the sudden question. He wondered how she could have guessed right about the picture inside the locket. Did she really take a peek inside after all? If so, then she should have somewhat an idea of their situation, right? But then again, she could have just thought that it was normal for someone like Momiji to keep a picture of his family. But that kind of reasoning didn't seem to be plausible.

Maiko seemed to have noticed the inner turmoil Momiji was having as she started to speak once more "I'm sorry to have asked that." She apologized "Does talking about your family make you uncomfortable?" she asked again, this time trying to be more careful with her words. She didn't want to make the boy more uncomfortable than he already is.

"Oh, no, it's okay." Momiji tried to smile "Yes, it is a picture of my family…" he said as his grip on the locket tightened a little more. "…Actually, it's the only one I have of… the three of us…" he told her, a sad smile on his face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad by remembering your family. I was just a little curious about your parents ever since I asked Hatori-san what they were like." Maiko explained before covering her mouth with her hand as she realized what she said.

Momiji's head turned to her as a look of surprise overcame his face "You asked Hatori about my parents?" his voice slightly trembling from the shock of what his mother said and once again Maiko had looked apologetic. "I'm really sorry. At that time, when you still haven't woken up I was with Hatori-san and I was wondering where your parents are since they weren't here with you after the accident. And so I asked him about it and he answered." Maiko explained to him and Momiji sat in silence for a while. Why didn't Hatori tell him this when he had the chance to do so. Out of all the people, Hatori knew he was the only one who truly knows his situation with his parents and he didn't even tell him that his own mother asked him about his parents?

Momiji sighed, he needed to calm down. His mind was full of jumbled thoughts and mixed feelings. It was probably because too many surprising things happened today, with Momo coming, the family picture in his locket and now the revelation that his mother did know something about his family situation.

The tension in the room must be getting into his mother as he could hear her shuffling about from where she was sitting. Oh well, he thought, he might as well ask about what Hatori told her and he spoke "What did hatori tell you about my parents?" the question seemed to have caught her attention as the shuffling sounds stopped.

"Well," she began "he told me that your father wokrs in a company and is very busy. He also said that he couldn't visit you now because he was sent on a business trip." She said and Momiji had to blink in surprise as to how close to the truth it was. "And that your mother…" she began again and this time Momiji wondered what Hatori told her "…he said that she is no longer living with you and your father." She finished.

Momiji's shoulders sagged slightly in relief after hearing his mother tell him what Hatori told her. Well, technically what Hatori said about his mother was right. She wasn't living with him anymore, although she is still living with his father. But she didn't need to know that.

"I'm really sorry if I seemed to pry into your private life Momiji-kun." Maiko once again apologized but was stopped as Momiji shook his head "No, it's alright. Besides, you wanted to know right?" Momiji suddenly had the urge to literally slap himself in the face as he said the last part. He didn't know why he said that, but now that he did, it's most likely that his mother's curiosity would be irked up even more than it already was.

Maiko seemed to be surprised by the sudden question but answered nonetheless "Well, yes but, if you don't want to talk about it then its fine." She said. But despite what she said Momiji could hear from her tone of voice that she was interested in knowing. Holding back the urge to sigh once again, he decided he could tell her, albeit a more; no scratch that, a very filtered version of his family background. After all, he did bring up the topic and it would seem rude to just not talk about it after he had more or less given the impression that he would talk about it.

"No, it's okay. I can tell you." He said and paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. After thinking of a way to tell her without revealing anything, or if it would reveal anything it would be at the most subtle, unnoticeable way, he started to speak.

"Well, what Hatori told is somewhat a summary of everything. With my father busy with work and my mother no longer living with us. She left when I was around 5." Momiji began and Maiko, who had gone silent as she listened, seemed to watch him carefully. "Although I do get to spend time with my father, I haven't exactly been able to spend time with my mother." "Why did she leave?" came the quiet question from Maiko and Momiji paused a little before he answered

"…She wasn't happy anymore."

Maiko blinked at the answer given to her. So his mother left them because she wasn't happy anymore? She didn't get it, it seemed so trivial. "So she left because she was unhappy?" she got a small nod from Momiji "I don't get it. Why would she decide to leave just because of that? Didn't she think of you and your father?" she asked Momiji.

"She did think of us, she tried to make it work. We all did. To be a family." Momiji had a small sad smile as he recalled the memories from his childhood. "But there were several circumstances that she wasn't able to handle anymore. She couldn't take it anymore. So she decided to leave…" Maiko could see the sullen expression in Momiji's face even though he was still smiling.

"When mother left, father said that he'd love me twice as much so that he could fill in for mother. We spend as much time as we can even though he's also busy with his work." He said

"What about your mother?" Maiko asked

"We don't see each other anymore."

Momiji turned his head towards her and for a short moment, their eyes met. "I haven't really spent time with mother after she left us. Although I do see her around town sometimes, but I never went over to talk to her." Momiji's voice was a little lower as he said this. "Why not?" Maiko asked "Why don't you go talk to her when you see her? She's your mother." she said, she couldn't understand why the boy didn't approach his own mother when he could see clearly the longing from the boy's expression.

Momiji paused at the question his mother asked. Why? Why didn't he approach his mother when he had so many chances to do so? The answer was clear. It was because she doesn't remember him anymore. That to her, he was just another child from the Sohma clan that she met. And that was that. But he can't tell her. He won't. So instead, he told her something else "It was because whenever I would see her, she looks so happy. She never looked that happy back when she was still living with us." He said, he didn't tell her the truth, but he didn't lie either "And I don't want to remind her of the hardships and pain that she went through by seeing me." He paused as he let the words sink in. "That's why I don't show myself to her."

Maiko couldn't believe what she was hearing. She didn't expect that the bubbly, carefree boy she knew had experienced such a sad childhood. And that he handled everything on his own. One question remained in her mind as she let her thoughts pass by.

"Weren't you lonely? Watching your mother live happily away from you?"

Her voice was low and gentle and Momiji had to look away for a moment as he felt the familiar pang of loneliness and longing.

"I do feel lonely," he admitted "but not so much. Seeing her happy is enough." He said

Of course he felt lonely. To see his mother and father and Momo laughing and having fun together, to be unable to join them, was definitely lonely. But no matter how much he wanted to go over to them, he would always just stand by and watch from afar. Because he didn't want to see his mother's anguished cries anymore or his father's distraught and weary face. He didn't want them to be hurt anymore. So no matter how much he wanted to be by their side, he decided that he would just watch from afar. And somehow, he had convinced himself that he was fine with it.

"…Why?"

Maiko asked and Momiji had to smile as he felt the concern in her voice.

"Because I love her."

He told her and Maiko went silent. And he took this chance to compose himself and collect his thoughts. Truth be told, he didn't know why he had decided to tell her about it. He just knew he had to. That he should at least let her know how he felt; how he still feels despite the fact that she doesn't remember anymore. Because in all honesty, he still hopes that somewhere deep inside, his mother still remembers him. That she hadn't forgotten. So he told her everything, without actually revealing anything.

Momiji was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a hand touch his cheek. He looked up in his mother's direction in surprise and his eyes widened as he heard what she said to him.

"You're a very good boy."

Her voice was gentle, soothing. And for moment Momiji had wanted to lean his head towards the touch but decided that the feel of his mother's hand against his cheek was enough to comfort him. "Thank you." He said as he smiled genuinely.

They stayed that way for a few moments before the silence that engulfed the room was broken as the door opened and both Tohru and Momo came in, bringing the drinks they bought.

"We're back!" they happily said and both Maiko and Momiji welcomed them back. After that, Maiko stood up to help Tohru prepare the lunch she had bought while Momo trotted over to Momiji to tell him of her trip to the cafeteria with Tohru.

After eating lunch and chatting happily about what and what not. Both Maiko and Momo had bid farewell, promising to visit again and Momiji happily waved goodbye with his free hand.

"I hope they visit again soon." Tohru said "Yeah!" Momiji agreed "It's not boring when they're around." He laughed as he said this. And Tohru was glad to see Momiji having a good time.

"By the way Momiji, what are you holding?" she asked curiously as she noticed Momiji's hand curled over something.

"Oh, this?" he opened his hand revealing the gold locket "Wow! It's so pretty!" Tohru exclaimed and she continued to stare at the locket. "Do you want to take a look?" Momiji asked her "Is it okay?" Tohru asked him back "Yeah, it's fine." he told her as he gave the locket to Tohru. He also told her about what he and his mother talked about and how she comforted him and Tohru listened quietly.

They heard a knock on the door before it opened and Tohru greeted Haru who had brought Momiji his favorite ice cream and sat beside his bed. They spent the rest of the afternoon eating ice cream as they talked and laughed about many things.

Maiko sat in the back of the car that was driving her and Momo towards her husband's building. The conversation she had with Momiji won't leave her mind. There was a nagging feeling that she just can't shake off whenever she remembered the boy. And the conversation they had didn't help in easing the feeling. There was just something about Momiji that made her feel… different. Like she knew the boy. She slightly shook her head. No, that was impossible. She had met Momiji only a few years ago when they went to the main house to visit Mizuki's parents and even then she hardly ever saw Momiji.

But…

Maiko looked out the window as she recalled the small locket she returned to Momiji and she couldn't help but bite her lower lip as she remembered what happened yesterday.

Flashback

Maiko had just returned home from her appointment and was walking towards the kitchen when she saw Momo come inside the house. Her dress was dirty to say the least and she had a little bit of dirt on her face as well. she stopped short when she saw her mother in the hallway.

"Momo! How many times must I tell you to be careful when you're playing outside in the garden." She scolded her daughter and patted her dress as she tried to remove the dirt from it.

"I'm sorry mommy." Momo apologized and Maiko sighed. No matter how many times she tells her daughter to be careful about getting her clothes dirty she would always do the same thing. And she would always scold her about it. Sometimes she thinks it's becoming a routine.

"Just remember to be careful about your clothes Momo. It's hard to get the dirt off." She reminded her and Momo nodded.

Maiko stood up and retrieved her bag from the side table opened it and pulled out a handkerchief. As she did so she felt it got stuck on something inside and she pulled it a little more. When she pulled the handkerchief free from the bag something fell as well. When she looked down to see what it is she saw the necklace and the small locket attached to it. It was then that she remembered that it belonged to Momiji and that she had forgotten to give it back.

She knelt down to pick it up but as soon as lifted the locket, she was surprised to see that the hinge keeping the lid closed was quite loose and it swung open revealing a picture. At first she felt like she was prying and decided to close the locket but then she saw a familiar figure in the picture and she stared at the picture.

It was a family photo, a young boy and his parents. Momiji. She recognized. As she gazed up on the faces of his parents she gasped in shock when she saw Mizuki's face and her own.

"…W-what?" she stuttered as her mind swirl with all the questions that popped in her head. What does this mean? It was definitely her and Mizuki in the picture, but Momiji… she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Is Momiji a part of their family… her son?

"Isn't that Momiji?"

The quiet voice of her daughter brought Maiko back from her thoughts and she quickly closed the locket and stood up. "Come now Momo, let's get you cleaned up." She said weakly as she tried to change the topic. Momo stared at her for a moment before she followed obediently. Maiko didn't know what to think anymore as she silently led Momo to the bathroom to get her cleaned up.

Judging from the picture, Momiji was still quite young, probably 4 or 5 in the picture. Now that she thought about it, it was about the same time that she was ill and had lost some of her memory as a result. She didn't pay much attention to it before but now…

As she finished helping Momo into a fresh set of clothes she decided to visit Momiji the next day and see if she can find out anything. She was not going to sit around and do nothing about it. She was going to find out.

End Flashback

"We're here madam." The driver's voice broke Maiko out of her thoughts and she thanked the man as she and Momo got out of the car and went inside the building. She felt a little guilty for lying to Momiji, but she didn't want to cause the boy any more distress. He was already having a hard time as it is.

"Good afternoon Maiko-san." His husband's secretary greeted her and she greeted back. "Is my husband inside?" she asked the woman. "Yes, he is. In fact, he had just returned from one of his meetings." The secretary answered. "I see." She turned to Momo "Momo, can you stay out here for a while? I have to talk to your daddy about some adult stuff. Can you wait for mommy here?" she asked her daughter gently. "Okay." Momo nodded "that's a good girl." Maiko smiled as Momo trotted over to the sofa provided for waiting guests.

She turned towards the door and slowly opened it revealing her husband's office. The man sitting in the back of his desk looked up. "Oh, Maiko. I didn't know you were coming today. Where's Momo?" Mizuki asked her. "I told her to wait outside. There's something I want to discuss with you." She walked towards his desk and stopped in front of it.

"…What is it?" Mizuki asked. Judging from her tone of voice he knew that his wife was not in the mood to beat around the bush. "I visited Momiji at the hospital today." She started as she stared at her husband. "Really? How was he doing?" Mizuki asked, trying to hide the curiosity and worry in his voice. He hadn't been able to visit Momiji aside from the other night and he was worried because Hatori had called him informing him of Momiji's blindness. He intended to visit soon but he just couldn't find the time especially since his wife was also visiting Momiji.

"He's doing better now. He was really happy to see Momo too." She told him and she noticed the look of surprise that passed through his husband's face even though it only lasted for a second. "…You took Momo to see Momiji as well?" he asked her. It was obvious in his voice that Mizuki was somehow worried even though he was doing quite well in hiding it. "Yes, she was actually very happy. She enjoyed talking with Momiji." She told him "In fact, I enjoyed talking with him too." She added and she could see the gears in his husband's mind working, thinking.

"Is this what you wanted to discuss?" he asked her after a few second of silence passed. "No." Maiko said, her voice turning serious. "I wanted to talk to you about this." She took out her phone and pushed a few buttons before placing it right in front of his husband.

Mizuki raised a brow in question of his wife's actions but nonetheless looked down at the phone and froze. Ha could see in the small screen a picture. it was a picture of a locket held by his wife's hand and inside the pocket was another picture of him, Maiko and Momiji.

"This…" he began "…where… how did you?" he couldn't form his thoughts into words as his mind registered that his wife has indeed seen their family picture and that she was now standing in front of him demanding answers.

"It was given to me by one of the nurses while Momiji was being treated." She explained to him as she took in her husband's shocked expression. "What is the meaning of this Mizuki? Why do we have a family picture with Momiji in it? Is he my son Mizuki? Tell me!" her voice grew louder with every question that came out of her mouth. She was so confused and Mizuki could see it in her eyes.

"Maiko…"

"I asked Momiji about his parents earlier, and he said that his father works in a company and he seldom spends time with him and that his mother wasn't living with them anymore." She said a little calmer now. Mizuki could see how bothered she was and he started to speak again. "Maiko-"

"Does this have something to do with my illness all those years ago? Does it have something to do with my memory loss? Tell me Mizuki…" she asked him, her voice growing quiet with each question she asked.

Mizuki stared at her for a long time. She looked so distraught. After hearing her outburst about the picture and Momiji, Mizuki knew that he has no other choice left but to tell her the truth. He took off his glasses and massaged his temple. He could feel a headache coming on.

"Mizuki…" his wife's voice forced him to look back at her and he let a sigh escape his lips as put his glasses back on.

"…You wouldn't believe me if I tell you."

He told her.

"Try me."

Came the challenging reply from his wife. He could tell from the determined look in his wife's eyes that she would not leave until she gets the answers that she wants. He folded his hands together and placed them on top of his desk as he gathered his thoughts.

"I'm sorry Momiji, but it seems our secret has to be revealed."

Author's Notes:

Again, I don't know the name of Momiji's dad (I don't think it was ever mentioned) and I also don't know what he looks like. I only know he has dark hair based from what I saw in the anime. and I just realized while I was proof reading this chapter that All four of them have the letter M at the start of their names (Momiji, Momo, Maiko, Mizuki) I never thought it's be the same. I just thought that the names suited his parents so I chose them.

Oh, also to Kendraxo who told me that Momiji's mother's name is Satsuki, sadly, it's not her name. I went back to that part of the manga and read it again. Satsuki is the name of Hiro's mother, not Momiji's. I just wanted to clear that up. ^^

And there you have it! Review and tell me what you guys think! ^^